Advertiser Disclosure

Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive financial compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). However, the credit card information that we publish has been written and evaluated by experts who know these products inside out. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers that are on the market. See our advertising policy here where we list advertisers that we work with, and how we make money. You can also review our credit card rating methodology.

[Expired]What Are the Differences Between Delta SkyMiles and MQMs?

Jarrod West's image
Jarrod West
Jarrod West's image

Jarrod West

Senior Content Contributor

439 Published Articles 1 Edited Article

Countries Visited: 21U.S. States Visited: 24

Boasting a portfolio of over 20 cards, Jarrod has been an expert in the points and miles space for over 6 years. He earns and redeems over 1 million points per year and his work has been featured in o...
Edited by: Stella Shon
Stella Shon's image

Stella Shon

News Managing Editor

80 Published Articles 580 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 25U.S. States Visited: 22

With a degree in media and journalism, Stella has been in the points and miles game for more than 6 years. She most recently worked as a Corporate Communications Analyst for JetBlue. Find her work in ...
& Juan Ruiz
Juan Ruiz's image

Juan Ruiz

Compliance Editor & Content Contributor

77 Published Articles 640 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 40U.S. States Visited: 27

Juan has been involved in credit cards, loyalty, travel, and personal finance for more than 10 years. He has worked for several outlets including The Points Guy and Forbes and was previously Editor-in...

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

Update: Delta MQMs are no longer used as of 2024.

After your Delta flight, you’ve likely noticed that your account has been credited with both Delta SkyMiles and Medallion Qualifying Miles — also known as MQMs.

If you’ve recently started your points and miles journey, you might be wondering what the difference is between the two. In short, Delta SkyMiles is the rewards currency you earn and spend to book award flights on Delta and its partners, while MQMs help you earn elite status with Delta but cannot be redeemed for flights.

Here’s a full breakdown of the two, along with some tips on how you can earn more.

What Are Delta SkyMiles?

When you hear someone refer to Delta miles, they most likely are talking about the SkyMiles frequent flyer program’s currency that allows you to book award tickets.

The primary way to earn SkyMiles is by flying with Delta or its partner airlines, where you’ll earn anywhere from 5x miles to 11x miles per $1 spent on your flight — though these rates can vary on partner airlines.

Once you’ve earned Delta SkyMiles, you can redeem them for award tickets. One of our favorite ways to redeem Delta SkyMiles is during the airline’s flash sales where you can score award tickets at a steep discount on what is usually charged.

How To Earn Delta SkyMiles

TakeOff15 Delta Platinum Card
Image Credit: American Express

The easiest way to earn extra SkyMiles on your flights — and on everyday purchases — is by paying with a co-branded Delta card. Here’s a look at how they can help you earn more miles per $1 spent:

SCROLL FOR MORE
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express CardDelta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express CardDelta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
Annual Fee$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 (rates & fees)$350 (rates & fees)$650 (rates & fees)
Delta Purchases2x3x3x
Dining 2x2x1x
U.S. Grocery Stores2x2x1x
Hotels1x3x1x
All Other Purchases1x1x1x

Deciding which card is best for you will largely come down to what you spend the most on, what annual fee you are comfortable paying, and what other benefits you’re looking for in the card.

For example, the Delta Platinum card is better suited for everyday point earning, but the Delta Reserve card also offers benefits like airport lounge access, complimentary upgrades, and more.

Hot Tip: Aside from using a Delta credit card, there are tons of other great ways to earn Delta SkyMiles, like the SkyMiles Shopping portal, the SkyMiles Dining program, and more.   

What Are Delta MQMs?

While you’ll also earn MQMs on your Delta flights, they’re the complete opposite of SkyMiles. MQMs cannot be used to book flights, and the only purpose they serve is to help you qualify for Delta elite status. The key to differentiating them is in the name — Medallion Qualifying Miles.

Unlike SkyMiles, which are revenue based, you’ll usually earn 1 MQM per mile flown, but premium cabin tickets earn MQMs at a higher rate. This means if you book a Main Cabin flight on Delta from New York City to Miami, a flight distance of 1,089 miles, you should earn 1,089 MQMs — no matter what the cash cost of the ticket is.

How To Earn Delta Elite Status

Since MQMs are purely for helping you achieve Delta elite status, here’s how many MQMs you will need to qualify for each level of Delta elite status:

SCROLL FOR MORE
Silver MedallionGold MedallionPlatinum MedallionDiamond Medallion
MQMs or MQSs Needed25,000 MQMs or 30 MQSs50,000 MQMs or 60 MQSs75,000 MQMs or 100 MQSs125,000 MQMs or 140 MQSs
MQDs Needed$3,000 or MQD Waiver$8,000 or MQD Waiver$12,000 or MQD Waiver$20,000 or MQD Waiver

Remember that Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs) are earned based on your distance flown, while you earn 1 Medallion Qualifying Segment (MQSs) for each individual flight taken, regardless of its distance. Given that, most flyers will find it much easier to qualify based on MQMs than MQSs unless you take a large number of short-haul flights throughout the year.

Keep in mind that at each status tier, you will also need to meet the Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQDs) benchmark, or earn an MQD waiver via qualifying spend on your Delta credit card.

Hot Tip: For more details on Delta Medallion elite status and the benefits it offers, read through our complete guide to Delta elite status.

How To Earn More MQMs

Delta Reserve Business card
Image Credit: American Express

Fortunately, just as you can use Delta credit cards to earn extra SkyMiles, you can also use them to earn extra MQMs thanks to the Status Boost feature on select cards.

Those with the Delta Platinum card or Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card can earn 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after spending $25,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year, up to 2 times per year.

While those with the Delta Reserve card or Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card can earn 15,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after spending $30,000 on purchases on your card in a calendar year, up to 4 times per year. That means you could earn up to 60,000 MQMs each year from one of these cards, in addition to all of the SkyMiles you’d earn for the spend as well.

Final Thoughts

For most travelers, Delta SkyMiles are what you’ll be most concerned with, as you’ll use them for redeeming award tickets on Delta and its partners. MQMs, on the other hand, are only useful to you if you are working to qualify for Delta elite status.

For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees for the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, click here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Delta SkyMiles and MQMs the same?

No, Delta SkyMiles is the rewards currency that you can redeem for award tickets. MQMs do not have any redemption value and are only earned to qualify for Delta elite status.

What are MQMs with Delta?

MQMs, or Medallion Qualifying Miles, are elite qualifying miles that you earn based on your fare class and distance flown on your Delta (and Delta partner) flights.

Once you’ve earned a certain threshold of MQMs (along with other qualifying activity) within a calendar year, you’ll qualify for the next level of Delta elite status.

Can you earn Delta MQMs without flying?

Yes, both the personal and business version of the Delta Platinum card and Delta Reserve card offer a Status Boost feature that allows you to earn MQMs for meeting annual spending thresholds within a calendar year.

Do I earn MQMs for Delta award tickets?

If you book a Delta award ticket you earn 1 MQM per mile flown on Main Cabin and Comfort+ tickets, and 1.5 MQMs per mile flown on Delta One, First, and Premium Select tickets.

If the award flight you are booking does not fall within one of these fare codes then you will not earn any MQMs for the flight.

However, if you book your ticket using Delta Pay With Miles, you will earn MQMs at the designated fare rate, no matter which fare code you book (with the exception of Basic Economy) as these bookings are treated as cash tickets.

This may seem confusing, but the tradeoff is that when you redeem through Pay With Miles your SkyMiles are worth a fixed 1 cent per mile toward the flight, while a standard award ticket may offer significantly more value than that.

Jarrod West's image

About Jarrod West

Boasting a portfolio of over 20 cards, Jarrod has been an expert in the points and miles space for over 6 years. He earns and redeems over 1 million points per year and his work has been featured in outlets like The New York Times.

INSIDERS ONLY: UP PULSE

Deluxe Travel Provided by UP Pulse

Get the latest travel tips, crucial news, flight & hotel deal alerts...

Plus — expert strategies to maximize your points & miles by joining our (free) newsletter.

We respect your privacy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA. Google's privacy policy and terms of service apply.

Deluxe Travel Provided by UP Pulse
DMCA.com Protection Status